The Legend of Zelda: The Dark War
Legend of Zelda: Double Trouble is a Wii U game, and one of the launch titles. It is the first Zelda game to feature drop-in/drop-out co-op gameplay, and the first to feature full voice acting (with several celebrity appearances). Also, in contrast to previous games, the game is very satirical, poking fun at Nintendo's competitors, other Nintendo franchises (complete with an appearance by Mario), politics, previous Zelda games, even going as far as to break the fourth-wall. Plot Prologue 20 years after Four Swords, Hyrule is in an age of peace and prosperity. Ganondorf and Vaati have been defeated once and for all. In the peaceful Kokiri Village live two children: Link, whose lineage goes back over 3,000 years, and his twin sister Solo, both age 10. They live in peace, working and playing with the other Kokiri children. One night, a mysterious man rides into Hyrule. He slips into Hyrule Castle Town unnoticed, infiltrates the castle, kills the king and most of his staff, and sets off bombs in the castle. Fortunately, Princess Zelda is able to escape. While looking for shelter, she happens upon Kokiri Village, and takes shelter in a treehouse. Unbeknownst to her, this is the house of Link and Solo. The next morning, Link and Solo (who are better at waking up in the morning than previous Link's) wake up to find that they have company. Zelda has always been close to Link and Solo, and she is always welcome to come. Zelda breaks down into tears and explains what happens, and Link lets her stay with them. After breakfast with Saria (she is no longer a Sage, as the position was voluntarily taken up by Mido, but did discover she was a Hylian cursed with the metabolism of a Kokiri, and is growing at the same rate as Link), they go to talk to the Great Deku Tree. He tells them that it is Link's destiny to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, Solo to be by his side until the bitter end, Zelda to live the life of a regular person (because the director said so), and Saria will come along with them (since there needs to be a fourth character for 4-player gameplay, and since she's so popular). Chapter 1: Escape The Prison Now on the open road, Link, Zelda, Solo and Saria plot their course. Using Lon Lon Ranch as their base of operation, they decide to first visit Ordon Village, where Link and Solo's grandfather lives, to see if they can get any information regarding the murderer. In Ordon, they visit Link and Solo's grandfather. They get some information as to who the man who murdered the king is, but only vaguely, as their grandpa dies suddenly. Distraught and saddened, they are about to leave, when they all suddenly drop unconcious. When they wake up, they are in some dungeon. The prison guard comes by, taunts them, and leaves. Link sits down despondently, believing he'll never live up to his ancestors. As Solo comforts him, Saria suddenly remembers she never gave up her Sage powers (she calls it a gameplay mechanic). She uses her powers to blast down the door of their cell. With that, they escape. But all of the guards are on alert. First, they head to the armory, where they get swords and shields, then fight their way out of the prison. Just outside the prison, though, they are faced by a mysterious man who calls himself Ghirahim. After an intense sword duel, Ghirahim escapes. Tired but triumphant, the four kids return to Lon Lon Ranch. Back at the ranch, they rest up and contemplate their next move. They decide that in order to win, they will need to get supplies, like bows and arrows, boomerangs, slingshots, shields, better swords and other things. Before they leave, Malon agrees to give them horses for transportation (especially Epona for Link). Chapter 2: In Search of Swords The group decides that they'll really need swords for this one. The ones they stole while escaping the prison aren't very good. First, they return to Kokiri Forest to find the "Sword of the Forest", which Saria will use. They enter the Lost Woods, and begin the search. After fighting through Deku Scrub, Deku Baba and Forest Guardians, they reach the Forest Temple. Just before they can enter, Mido, Sage of the Forest, appears before them. The power he got has turned him into a tyrant, and he decides now would be best to get rid of Link and Solo. After a long, bloody battle, they are forced to kill Mido. In his dying words, Mido tells them that an evil from the past has returned, and is after them. He was doing their bidding, and failed. After bringing Mido's body back, Fado agrees to be the the Sage of the Forest (Link calls her "about as sane as Kokiri get, besides Saria"). They return to the Temple and obtain the Sword of the Forest. Now that Saria is armed with a good weapon, next comes a sword for Zelda. They reluctantly enter Hyrule Castle Town, and find that the whole town has been devestated. Zelda just breaks down, and Link is also extremely saddened. While Solo comforts them, Saria looks around and finds a shop still standing: The Bazaar. The shopkeeper recognizes Zelda, and gives them free Hylian Shields. Afterwards, they head off to find the Hylian Sword. Things get emotional when they reach the castle (or what used to be the castle). Zelda falls into a depression when she sees her father's mutilated body (it isn't shown on-screen to maintain a T for Teen rating from the ESRB). They find a note that appears to have been written by the King shortly before he died. It says that the Hylian Sword is located in a dungeon near Kakariko Village. Zelda takes one last look at where she grew up. then leaves. When they reach Kakariko Village, they find the village in chaos. Marauders (the same who killed Link and Solo's parents) are sacking the village. Feeling a lust for revenge, Link and Solo show no mercy and brutally kill them. With the marauders out of their way, the group decides to find some place to stay for the night. After spending a night at the Inn, the group decides to stock up on supplies. There are two shops in the village; they try the first shop. Unfortunately, it's none other than Morshu's shop! After going on about "lamp oil, rope and bombs", they decide to try the other shop. They get better service here. After stocking up, they head for the dungeon. Inside, they find the place infested with monsters. While navigating the dungeon, they find bows and boomerangs. At the end of the dungeon, they face off against Queen Ghoma. After dispatching her, they find the Hylian Sword. Zelda pulls it from the pedestal and lifts it Skyward. Unbeknownst to them, the name "Hylian Sword" is a false front for the sword's true identity: the Goddess Sword. After obtaining it, the sword's inhabitant Fi emerges from it. She tells them that she will aide them on their quest, and drop some rhetoric once in a while. She also tells them that two other "Helpers to the Heroes" remain: Navi and Midna. Now that they have bows, they go back into Kakariko Village to buy some arrows. Next, they return to Lon Lon Ranch to get some rest. The next day, they head out for Lake Hylia. Once they get there, Fi tells them that they will need the Magical Sword for victory (but not as much as the Master Sword). They navigate the caverns, and eventually find themselves in a large room. Here, they fight a hoarde of Zora. Just as it seems they are going to be killed, Princess Ruto suddenly appears, apologizes and leads them to the Magical Sword's resting place. With the Magical Sword with Solo, all that remains is the Master Sword. Characters Playable *'Link' - The main protagonist. He is about 10 years old at the beginning of the game, and 13 by the end. He is the only character who can use the Master Sword. He tries to live up to his destiny to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. He is selfless, brave and willing, and not afraid to get violent. Link is an excellent melee character, thanks to the Master Sword (and before that, the Gerudo Sword). He is also a good ranged character, as he has had practice with bows and arrows, boomerangs and slingshots. *'Solo' - Link's twin sister. She is like Link: selfless, brave and willing. She loves her brother very much, and is always quick to come to his aid, comfort him when he's feeling down, and help him along. She understands Link's feelings about his destiny, and promises to stay by his side (that is her destiny, believe it or not). Solo's abilities lie in ranged weapons, like bow and arrows, boomerangs and slingshots. However, when necessary, she can fight with swords, too, having been taught by Link. *'Zelda' - Former Princess of Hyrule and Link's girlfriend. After her father, his advisors and Impa were killed, she fled the castle and shed her status as a princess, which helps keep a low-profile. She currently lives with Link and Solo. She loves her "Linkie-pooh" very much, almost to the point of being able to manipulate him into doing almost anything. Zelda's abilities lie in defense, allowing her to take less damage than normal. She is also a proficient fighter. *'Saria' - Former Sage of the Forest and one of Link's closest friends. She gave up the position to be with Link and Solo (she grew up with their great, great, great grandfather). She joined Link, Solo and Zelda on their quest because, according to the Great Deku Tree "this is supposed to be a 4-player game, and the guys at Nintendo had a hard enough time coming up with Solo." In addition to relinquishing her position as Sage, she also discovered that she was cursed with the metabolism of a Kokiri, when she is really a Hylian like Link. As a result of the curse being lifted, Saria is now growing at the same rate as Link. She can still use her Sage powers (which must be used to solve different puzzles). Saria's abilities lie in healing her friends, but she can also use her powers as a deadly force of destruction (hence "Force").